14 Meadows Valley Firefighters Have 22 Training Classes to Choose From

Firefighters from New Meadows traveled to the Burley, Rupert, Paul area on February 16. This is the third year they have traveled the five hours for training at the Southern Idaho Fire Academy. Meadows Valley Rural Fire Department currently has twenty-six personnel on their roster, this includes six of which are currently taking the EMT course. Fourteen of these went south, having twenty-two classes to choose from.

FF Devon Buys and FF Lieutenant Lucas Nicholson took two classes Their first, Draeger Live Fire, had different live fire scenarios to learn things such as fire behavior in an enclosed structure and fire suppression techniques. The 2nd class was Rules of Air Management which taught them how to breathe with their packs on, how to conserve air and make life safety decisions.

FF Troy Black also took this Air Management class. His 2nd class was Responding to Propane Emergencies. He learned how to respond safely and about types of containers, fittings and tactical response guidelines

FF/Emts Chief Doug Buys and Nikki Sauerland took three classes all having to do with bombs. 1st-Homemade Explosives, 2nd-Incident Response to Terrorist Bombing and 3rd-Understanding and Planning for School Bombing Incidents. They learned about school management plans, how to respond safely, establish scene safety, identify homemade explosives, the warning signs of aggressive student behavior and critical actions to take.

Cody Day and Justin Aspiazu are the newest firefighters on the crew, and Justin is also studying to be an EMT. They took Essentials of Firefighting where they learned the basics in Forcible Entry and Tactical Ventilation. They went through a rigorous maze with their Self-Contained Breathing Apparatuses (SCBAs) on. Lastly, they learned about the parts, terms, types, care and use of fire service ground ladders.

FF/EMT Samantha Wittell took an EMS class taught by Air St. Luke’s demonstrating how to provide the best care for your patient while taking care of yourself. She earned 16 hours of continuing education credits for taking this class.

FF/Emt Becky Davis, FF Dolly Black and FF/EMT Josh Carr took an Emergency Vehicle Operations Course which offered information on safety, types, techniques and practical driving exercises. The information applied to all types of emergency vehicles.

FF/Emt LeAndra Smith took Fire Inspection 101 to gain the skills to conduct basic fire inspections and perform alarm/sprinkler testing. She also learned to identify hazards and apply fire code provisions.

Each volunteer had 16 hrs of training.

FF Captain Justin Peterson and FF/EMT Johnny Brown took a 20-hour class on Fire Investigation for First Responders to gain knowledge on fire origin and cause, along with evidence collections and preservation.

LeAndra Smith had this to say, “I thought the training was fantastic. I learned a lot in my class and it really opened my eyes to buildings and the safety of the people going into them. I walked around to see the other classes and everyone that I talked to was enjoying their class. I thought it was amazing.”

Fire Chief Doug Buys says “It’s a long way to go but they put on excellent classes down there with excellent instructors, whether you’re seasoned and experienced or you’ve never been on a fire before. Everybody enjoyed it and came home saying how much they learned. What really makes me happy is they want to keep going. Everybody was saying ‘What’s the next class I can take?’ and that’s how you know they’ve done a good job as instructors.”

More training is scheduled just like they hoped. On March 2 and 3 EMS will have Spring Fling in Grangeville. On March 15, 16 and 17 they’re going to the Clearwater Fire Academy in Orofino, and in April there’s the Snake River Valley Fire Academy in Ontario.

Doug went on to say, “This valley is very lucky. We have a great group of people.”